Knife scanning arch used by police at Market Harborough train station

Police were at Harborough Station to scan people to check they were not carrying a knife.

Leicestershire police were at Market Harborough train station on the morning of Thursday, October 25, as they continue to crackdown on knife crime.

Officers used a knife arch, similar to one you would see at airport security, in order to scan members of the public to check they were not carrying a knife.

Passengers travelling on and off East Midlands train services were encouraged to walk under the arch to show that they were not in possession of a knife. It also gave officers the opportunity to speak to commuters, raise awareness and give out knife crime prevention advice.

The operation, which forms part of the force’s #LivesNotKnives campaign, ran between 8am and 1pm in the Leicestershire village and whilst no knives were found.

PC Paul Farrar said: “Operations such as today are important for us as we look to tackle knife crime. Of course our main objective is to catch anyone who might be carrying a knife, however, we also hope that operations such as this will act as a deterrent for people who might consider carrying a knife – especially the young.

“Lots of people walked through the arch and it helped to reinforce our message that we are proactively looking to bring knives off the streets. Today’s operation went down really well with the local community and we have received a lot of support.”

Patricia Salisbury, aged 75, from Market Harborough, said: “I think this campaign is great. Whilst it’s not nice to think that there might be people out there who are carrying knives, it makes me feel a lot safer knowing that the police are out there purposefully trying to catch people who might be carrying them.”

So far the #LivesNotKnives campaign which has been backed by sporting superstars, including a number of Leicester City football players and heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, has seen a number of dangerous knives come off the streets and into the hands of Leicestershire Police.

Sergeant Glen Iceton, said: “We’ve had great support behind this campaign and it is important that we continue to send out a zero tolerance message towards knife crime. We would encourage anyone who has a knife they want to hand-in to take it to their local police station.”

Rob Mercer, area manager for Leicestershire at East Midlands Trains, said: "The safety and security of our passengers and staff is always our absolute priority and we are pleased to be able to support Leicestershire Police with this knife safety initiative at Market Harborough station."